Bear Ransacks Boulder County House

Residents Warned Not To Leave Windows Open With Food Out

Officials in Boulder County are warning residents not to leave windows open after a bear ransacked a house, ripping the doors off the refrigerator.

The warning came after Jerry Smallin, a resident of Boulder Heights, reported that he had just returned home Sunday night when he found an opened package of sugar laying on his front drive.

Smallin said he found his kitchen in shambles and the doors of his refrigerator ripped off. He also found a second-floor window, off an upper deck, torn free. He said he saw a large black bear walking down his drive toward his neighbor's house.

The Boulder County man told deputies that he left one of his roll-out windows partially open to allow cooler air into his house while he was gone. He also said he left pans on the stove in the kitchen and had cooking grease in them.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife was notified of the break-in. Wildlife officials told deputies that there have been numerous reports in the Boulder Heights area of similar encounters with a black bear.

One resident reported that her vehicle had been forcefully entered recently when she left a slice of pizza on the back seat and the back window down a little bit.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife was notified of the incident and they report there have been numerous reports in the Boulder Heights area of similar encounters where a black bear has forced its way into homes to eat food left out while windows were left open.

Residents were advised to close all windows that are accessible from the ground when they leave their homes for any length of time and not to leave food items out where they could attract the bear's attention.

The Boulder Heights subdivision is located in the foothills, about 5 miles west of Boulder.